Until Google licenses its driverless car technology to automakers, Tesla Motors will offer the closest thing to a self-driving car with its latest Model S, which arrives in early 2015.

The company unveiled its dual-motor Model S last Thursday, which comes with a new feature called Autopilot. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk says he chose that name so others wouldn't confuse it for a full self-driving experience; he likened the functionality in the car to autopilot in airplanes, "where there is still an expectation that there will be a pilot."

While Tesla's newest car is a step toward autonomy, Musk believes there will be fully autonomous cars on the road in about half a decade.

"Maybe five or six years from now I think we'll be able to achieve true autonomous driving where you could literally get in the car, go to sleep and wake up at your destination," Musk told Bloomberg Television.